Sleeping Awake
by ParallelDimension75
Summary: Maia O'Harris had a normal life. Until she 'woke up', with no memory of her 'dream' world, as Rynne, the green and scaly daughter of the witch Maleficent. Another catch; she's been tied into Aurora's curse. With the help of the mental whispers of Brennan, her brother in her 'dream' world, Rynne must unravel the complicated conflicts around her, as well as unravel herself.
1. Prologue - Dreaming Awake

Maia O'Harris walked through the streets of Thorne, England. Like a bucket of icy cold water, it shocked her. It was so different from London.

The nippy Autumn wind toyed with Maia's wavy brown hair. Her brown eyes were narrowed against the gale, her skin eerily pale.

Of course, some things didn't change. There was still her brother, Brennan, his cheery self her best friend. Their fascination with reading and writing didn't change. The neurotic but kind and caring mother, Lauren, still her frazzled but optimistic self.

The absence of her father.

Maia's expression went dark. She crossed the street, heading toward the graveyard. Her face must have been doing something, because a young boy holding his mother's hand saw Maia and drew away, terrified.

Some things did change. The familiarity of the streets. Home. Classmates.

The absence of her Auntie Fiona.

Why was it the family members she didn't love were far away, but alive, while those she did were far away, and dead?

They had only ever moved to Thorne because Fiona had gotten her sister-in-law Lauren a stable job. And then, the only familiar thing in the new place dies.

Maia wasn't sad, not really. She was mostly angry. Angry at Fiona for leaving her, for leaving Brennan. For their mother uprooting them from London, leaving their father working there providing from afar and leaving their hard-earned friends behind.

Maia went through the gates, walking past the rows and rows of gravestone out in the open. She reached the tree line of the woods, slipping between an ancient oak and a young ash.

Graves lay strewn here haphazardly, as if someone had forgotten to factor in the tree roots when burying and had begun to improvise. Fiona was buried somewhere here, with the rest of their family.

Maia looked from stone to stone, scanning for the O'Harris name. But after dozens of disappointments, she was getting agitated. Maia began to run, her feet pounding on the forest floor, the girl darting by gravestones, madly searching for the name.

Suddenly, her foot caught. With a gasp, Maia fell flat, her ankle twisting, caught on the edge of a gravestone. Maia cried out at the flare of pain.

Instead of getting up, Maia lay there, letting her tears come out. She never cried in front of Brennan. How could she? She was his rock. But now, alone, in the woods with only dead bodies lying beneath stones for company, the tears came out in waves.

_Maia._

Maia stopped crying.

_Maia._

Again, the voice.

_Maia, it's time to wake up._

"Huh?" Maia raised her head, pushing herself up. Pulling herself up with the aid of a tree, she brushed the leaves off of her clothes. "Who-?"

_It's time to wake up._

Maia turned around. The last thing she saw was what she thought was a woman. A middle-aged woman, with light green eyes, wispy lemon-yellow hair and white skin. She was dressed in a simple, lemon-yellow dress that perfectly mirrored her hair.

_Wake up._

And then the world went white.


	2. Empty Words and Empty Memories

**A conversation between Maia and you (the reader):**

You know how when you wake up, you still remember your dream, right? When I woke up my dream was all I could remember.

Then it slipped away from me and all I could remember was nothing.

* * *

Wrong. Wrong. Something was wrong.

Maia's world was nothing but a ringing in her ears and a grey mist encompassing everything. Maia tried to move, but her body wasn't hers anymore.

Then, although her eyes were already open, they _opened._

And all of a sudden, Maia was no longer Maia. Her mind was blank. Empty. Except for one thought:

_Wrong._

* * *

RYNNE

The girl was reeling, her vision naught but a rocky ceiling. Cold permeated her back and the cool stone felt so comfortable; unnaturally comfortable. Who was she? Where was she? _What_ was she?

"Her eyes are open; grab her!"

"Chain her!"

"Gag her!"

"Spell her!"

The girl felt cold hands grip her arms. The shape of people made of metal loomed over her. Voices banged around in her head. All around her. Nothing but gleaming steel, steel, steel. She screamed, thrashing, her arm lashing out to hit one, her curled fist bouncing off his metal face. Her wrist seemed to burst in pain, and she gasped.

Then she saw her hand.

The skin was a mint green, the long, hard, sharp fingernails a blood red. On her arm was the sleeve of a threadbare rag of a dress. She shifted her arm and her wrist became visible. The girl screamed again, for her wrist and arm were covered in black scales.

"Get her to stop thrashing!" said one of the metal people, his words muffled by his steel face. Her mind blank, the girl kicked out at a metal person, her foot connecting with his arm.

The girl's dress ripped and she could see her leg; her foot was the same mint green, her leg above the ankle the same scaly black. This was wrong. She knew it. The girl screamed again and again and again, her screams echoing in the cave. She thrashed, but the metal people held her down until finally, one thew a fist at her chin.

The girl's world faded into black.

* * *

The girl groaned, her eyes blinking open. Immediately, she felt odd, wrong. This body wasn't her body. She stood slowly, but her skinny legs weren't accustomed to holding her up and gave out. She fell forward, and jet-black hair fell in front of her face.

"My, and I thought Maleficent was ugly," said a soft, feminine voice. Despite the voice's beautiful, ringing tones, the hatred and malice turned it ugly.

"Wh- wha-?" the girl stammered. Her own voice seemed haunting, eerily beautiful. Not her own. The words felt strange on her tongue, the sound odd to her throat.

The girl looked up, and her eyes adjusted. She was in a small stone room with no torches, no windows, no nothing, except a metal door. The girl used the wall to stand, running her thin fingers on the stone. Her body felt awkward, as though she had gone to sleep and woken up years later to find her body had grown without her. She turned to the door, and saw bright yellow reflecting off it. Her eyes.

"Monster. We should have killed you," the voice continued. "You little witch."

The girl stumbled towards the door and leaned on it. "I don't understand," she said haltingly in her smooth voice. "What's going on? What _am_ I?"

The voice laughed. "Aw, the poor little monster is lost. Lost in her own body," the voice snarled.

The girl shivered and withdrew, pressing into the dim recesses of the room into the shadows. She wrapped her arms around herself, her thin, dirty rags meagre protection from cold. Her bare feet were numb.

"Who are you?" the girl lisped. Or the monster. She didn't know which.

The voice huffed. "Like I would introduce myself to a dirty witch." The voice was dripping with contempt. "All I came to do was see if the guards hadn't blundered and accidentally killed you."

With that, the voice disappeared. The girl sat in the shadowy corner, pulled her legs in and wept. She wept tears for what she had done, whatever it was, to deserve such hatred and contempt.

She wept until she had no tears left. Each of the girl's breaths was like a little scream, small and quiet.

For a moment she simply sat there. She didn't know what was going on. There was knowledge in her head; words, empty words, that had some meaning, and she knew that she was sitting on stone, and that the door was metal, but she didn't know what or who or when or why or where and it was frightening and infuriating and the strange woman's hatred and everything was closing in and it was just too much-

The girl closed her eyes, making the thoughts ebb away. Her teeth bit into her blood red lip. She knew, for certain, this was not her body. The limbs were longer, thinner than her mind calculated for, her hair longer, darker, smoother than she was used too. Everything was wrong.

She put a hand to her chest, and noticed that her skin was mint green until her collarbone, where it turned to the same black scales. She let her hand drop, her chest rising and falling, her skeletal body shaking.

The girl's eyes opened. The overwhelming thoughts encircled her once more. It was becoming to much, and simple will was not enough to keep it at bay.

The girl wailed, eyes shutting tight once more, tears leaking out of the corners. When she ran out of breath, her eyes opened.

The door had a huge dent in it, as though her wail had become a giant fist and smashed the door. The girl's eyes went wide in wonder. She stood and walked over to the door. She fearfully held out her delicate hand, fingers trailing along the metal, before she gave the door a small push.

The door fell straight out with an ominous screech and loud bang.

The girl stepped out into the hallway, trembling with fear and cold. On the right was a brick wall. On the left was a seemingly endless hall lit with glowing torches.

Disbelief echoed through her. It couldn't be that easy, could it? Or would those frightening metal people come back? Or worse, that strange woman?

Slowly, the girl started left. The only sounds where the echoing pitter patter of her feet and her soft, shallow breath. She became aware of an acute pain in her stomach. Was it... hunger? After a while, the girl could see the outline of stairs at the end of the hall. Her confidence grew. Yes, she could make it out. She would find out what was going on. Surely someone would help her...

Suddenly, the sound of pounding feet and the clank of metal heralded the arrival of the metal people, running down the stairs, sharp bits of metal held in their hands.

The girl froze, her eyes wide. An unpleasant, blanking feeling swept through her, transforming her nerves to ice. Fear. This was fear.

The metal people surrounded her. The metal pieces in their hands the girl recognised as swords and spears. They closed in, swords drawn, spears levelled. The girl stood still as an icy statue, her fists clenched to her sides, her head bowed, eyes lowered. Only a fine eye could detect her trembling. A spear point pressed into her scaly back. Hard. Very hard. But it's prick didn't hurt much.

"Well," said the voice from earlier. The girl looked up to see a hauntingly familiar woman walking down the stairs. Her eyes were a light green, her wispy lemon yellow hair caught in an elegant bun, her creamy pale skin glowing in the torchlight. Her dress was a mix of shades of pinks, and she wore a dark pink cloak. On her head was a golden crown.

From somewhere, from nowhere, the girl found a name. "Queen Leah," she almost breathed. This was who the strange voice belonged too. The metal people shivered just hearing it, as though simply by speaking the name the girl had placed a death curse on the woman.

The metal person's spear shoved deeper into the girl's back. Her mouth opened in a silent cry as she was pushed forward. "Don't you dare speak her name, witch!" the muffled voice threatened. Her fear clawed higher. The girl trembled, fists still clenched.

The queen sneered, marring her pretty face. "So the little monster remembers me. But do you remember yourself?"

The girl trembled more fiercely, her clenched hands tightening. "Wh-who am I? Why am I here? Where is here? What's going on?" The girl almost whispered, her voice making the metal person's spear trembled. The girl raised her head to look at the queen, yellow gaze piercing, lingering.

"I asked you questions," the girl said softly. "Questions are meant to be answered, are they not?"

The Queen's gaze was murderous. "I will not be spoken to like that. Especially not by a _witch_."

Two metal people suddenly grabbed the girl's arms, shoving her down so her knees banged the cold floor. Their metal grip was so tight the girl's wrists went numb. Another metal person used his sword to cleanly score a line in the mint green skin of her neck. The girl screamed, yellow eyes wide, the pain clawing at her neck. It lanced through her body, making her muscles spasm. The pain burned on and on and on, like an endless fire.

The metal person gave a huff of laughter. "Iron. Works every time."

Sobs wracked the girl's body. The fire got stronger, hotter, until she could bear it no longer. She collapsed, sagging in the metal people's arms. The pain sung on to a higher note, higher and higher until it was white, the agony unbearable- and then it stopped.

The girl fell on the floor. The metal people had let her go. There was blood in her mouth, on the floor, staining her lip. She could feel something wet and warm on her neck- blood as well. Her breath came in ragged sobs.

The queen watched all this with a haughty look on her face.

"Your questions will be answered shortly, witch. Although you don't deserve to know anything. But one thing you should know; we will not hesitate to use iron on you again."


	3. Absolute Terror

**A conversation between Maia and you (the reader):**

The thing is with having no memories, is that everything is just a big blank. You have nothing in your head. Nothing except the present.

And it's not much of a 'present' really.

And when something comes into you're head, you have no idea where it came from. Basically all you have is common sense and a really crappy here-and-now.

* * *

The metal people pulled the girl by her arms through endless seeming labyrinths of hallways. They pulled her past red and gold tapestries embodied with the royal crest. They pulled her past whispering people and frightened cats and through courtyards and past windows and balconies and doors. Finally, they came to a huge set of double doors, which the metal people pushed open.

The room was huge, with a huge domed ceiling and wide floor space. The doors they had entered by, despite being incredibly big, were only side doors . A long, huge red tapestry with the same crest hung in the centre of the far wall. In front of the tapestry were two large, ornate wood and gold thrones. Around the thrones stood a number noblemen and women in extravagant clothing.

Rynne scanned their faces; surely someone, anyone, would help her. But every single face was the same; horror, hatred, revulsion. And a tinge of something else... fear.

The metal people pulled the girl in front of the thrones and shoved her down onto her knees. She gasped in pain as her knees hit the cool stone, then bit her lip to stop the sound escaping. This wasn't as bad as the iron, she told herself. She could still feel the echoes of the burn in her neck.

The queen elegantly walked over to the two huge thrones and sat down on the left, her cold eyes never leaving the girl. A man in a velvety red and gold robe with white lining and a large golden crown sat on the other throne. His hair and short beard were black, and his eyes were a warm, inviting brown. But now, as the girl watched him, his eyes showed none of the warmth and kindness they had held a moment before.

"King Stefan," the girl whispered. The name simply came to her. As if through whispers in her head.

He bowed his head. "Indeed I am, Rynne of the Forbidden Mountain, daughter of Maleficent." The king said in a commanding voice.

_Rynne, _the girl mouthed. That was her name...

The king narrowed his eyes at her and the grip of the metal people tightened. The people in the sidelines whispered to one another, sound carrying around the room.

The king glanced around. "Silence, all of you! Let us get to the point at hand."

The noblemen and women settled down, watching Rynne anxiously as though any second she might turn into a dragon or something. Rynne tried to focus on a spot on the floor, but it was so polished she could still see the goddam king's reflection.

"As a known witch and the daughter of the most powerful witch alive," king Stefan began, "the automatic sentence is execution."

Rynne stopped breathing.

* * *

**A conversation between Maia and you (the reader):**

There is nothing more terrifying than the sudden announcement you are going to die and there is nothing you can do about it.

The terror is a quiet sort of terror, one that freezes everything around you, slows the world done. It makes your breath come quickly, quicker, faster. There is a ringing in your ears, no sound but a quiet murmuring and the blood pounding in your ears.

It makes you feel as though there is no hope. It leaves you feeling like a fish out of water, like instead of water to breath you needed hope to breath, and all the hope just evaporated like water on a really hot day.

It really, really sucks.

* * *

"However," the king continued.

Rynne sagged into the arms of the metal people, letting loose the breath she had been holding. Feeling flooded back into her, and time started up again. Her heart resumed beating normally. She wasn't going to die.

"Your circumstances are... unusual," the king sighed. "Killing you would have a certain consequence that I would prefer not to deal with." He leaned forward. His gaze was solemn. "But I will do what needs to be done to protect my people and my kingdom. The likes of you will not be allowed to destroy us!"


	4. Tears Of Joy

**A conversation between Maia and you (the reader):**

There are times when you wonder why people have to have a consciousness. If we were like animals, pain would be a lot easier to deal with.

Or maybe, our conscious could leave our bodies for a short amount of time. So we wouldn't even have to feel the pain at all.

Why do even have to be people anyway? I didn't ask to be Maia. Or Rynne.

Or whoever I am.

* * *

Rynne kneeled in the grip of the metal people. She knew that all of this was a farce, an official pretext. What would happen to her had already been decided. Rynne clenched her fists, trying not to think about her surroundings. She tried to think about her name.

Without warning, memories entered in her head. Not ones of Rynne, ones of a different life... she tried to grasp the name, on the tip of her tongue, but it escaped her.

M? May? The second name. H? O? Something like that.

But memories nonetheless, a mother, an aunt, a town called Thorne, a city called- Lore? Lord? London.

An Aunt.. Auntie? Yes, auntie. But who was she? Rynne desperately searched through the memories, pouring into her head. Auntie... Freya? Felicity?

Fiona. Auntie Fiona.

And she was dead.

Rynne barely heard the noblemen arguing. She barely heard the long list of possible options exempting death. She didn't really want to know what possible unpleasant fates awaited her.

All Rynne heard was a voice.

_Maia!_ called the voice. Maia. That was the name. _Maia!_

A pause. _Maia?_

Rynne's head pounded. The voice boomed in her head, although it felt like only a little child's. _Maia, can you hear me?_

Rynne pulled her arms out of the metal people's grip, clutching her pounding head. The child's voice echoed, sound bouncing off her skull and banging around. _Mimi? Mimi Maia, it's me!_ called the voice cheerily.

There was a pause, and the echo faded.

_Mimi?_ The voice sounded panicky. _Maia, can't you hear me?_ The voice became shrill. _Please, Maia, tell me you can hear me!_

Hear me. Those last two words echoed in her head, followed by a terrifying ringing silence. Her yellow eyes wide, finally, an answer came. Her voice a hoarse whisper, she forced herself to speak. "Brennie?"

_Mimi!_ the voice sounded thrilled. _You can see me!_

"Brennan," Rynne whispered. Tears of happiness within her eyes spilled over. "My little brother."

_Maia!_ Brennan cried happily. _You're here, you're back!_

Rynne swallowed and thought back to him. _It's okay, Brennie. We're together now._

Rynne pictured a boy, grinning, in her head. She couldn't see his hair or eyes, or even his features. Only that he was grinning.

Another name came to her. O'Harris. Her last name.

"Maia O'Harris," she whispered. "Was that me?"

Suddenly, Rynne felt her body seize up. She fell to the floor. In her head, Brennan screamed as she hit the ground.

The metal person grabbed her with it's steel hand. "Get up!"

* * *

The king saw tears in the witch-girl's eyes. He smiled.

Good.

Maleficent and her kind could not plague this kingdom with misery for centuries as they had without consequences.

The little witch was hauled to her knees, the councillor below the king preparing the final verdict to be read out. Everything was going as planned. The witch's eyes were brimming with shining tears, ready to spill over her cheeks, her lips... twisted in a smile of relief.

Suddenly, the king's smile faltered.

The witch's eyes were not filled with tears of fear or sorrow.

Her tears were of joy.


	5. Banishment

RYNNE

"Really, you're a fairy," the metal person said as he locked the door. His voice was kind, as though he was sincerely trying to make Rynne feel better. "But you're magic is dark and evil, so your a dark fairy, or an evil fairy."

Rynne sat down in the corner of the stone room. The lock clicked sharply.

"So technically, you're not a witch," the metal person said conversationally, lounging against the wall. Rynne could just see his metal face from the small gap in the cold steel door.

Rynne looked away, picking at the moss on the stone walls. The metal person started whistling. It was an upbeat tune, out of place in this dungeon full of misery.

A different tune entered in her head, somehow. _Twinkle, twinkle little star, how I wonder what you are. Up above the world so high, like a diamond in the sky..._

Brennan.

_Brennie? _Rynne thought.

_Mimi!_ Brennan spoke.

_Brennie, I don't really remember you, _Rynne thought back. An unexpected pang of sadness hit her at those thoughts. _I don't remember Maia. Who I was. I mean, I remember names... Lauren, auntie Fiona, and London and Thorne and our friends Charlotte and Peter..._

_Oh, _Brennan's mental voice was downtrodden. _But it really happened! I'm really here! I don't know where you've gone, but sometimes I can see you. This little shadow. And because I talk to you mother thinks there's something wrong because she can't see you and she says it's just because I'm sad that you've gone missing and it's just my imagination, but I tell her it's true and you're really there, and so they're making me see a doctor, but nothing's wrong with me!_

_What? _Rynne thought. At least, she thought she thought it. She had said it aloud.

"What did you say?" The metal person looked through the gap.

"Nothing." Rynne didn't look at him.

"It's only a few hours since you'll be transported to the place they've chosen. Don't worry, you won't be in any danger; they won't put you in a dangerous place. Just a lonely place."

Rynne wondered why they were banishing her. It was an odd-seeming sentence. If they weren't going to kill her, why not keep an eye on her? That king Stefan seemed like the type to always have a plan.

* * *

QUEEN LEAH

"The Forbidden Mountain? But Maleficent will find her!" Queen Leah protested, hand over her mouth. "Maleficent could do untold horrors with Rynne's latent power!"

King Stefan stood up sharply, slamming his hands down on the table.

"It's what must be done! They fairies put a spell on the witch-girl. It will tell us what we need to know!"

Queen Leah recoiled. "But Aurora-"

Stefan sighed. "Is safe. She can't hurt her."

Leah persisted. "But what if she remembers? What if, Gods forbid, that world comes in through her? What if she upsets the balance!"

Stefan put his hand on his wife's shoulder. "You'll just have to trust me. I'm sorry, Leah."

"For all you know, Maleficent will kill Rynne to let her get at Aurora!" Queen Leah cried.

Stefan smiled calmingly, but the shadows under his eyes betrayed worry and fatigue. "Rynne is Maleficent's weakness. She won't hurt Rynne."

Leah looked worriedly into her husband's reassuring eyes. A sudden sob escaped her, and she put her face in her hands. "I hope you're right. For Aurora's sake I hope your right."


	6. The Bloody Metal Shells

**A conversation between Maia and you (the reader):**

Just so you know, riding in a carriage is not very comfortable. It's bumpy and you feel every little stone on the road and every little slight dip. And the incessant clop-clop of horse hooves really doesn't help.

It also doesn't help when your in an iron cage covered with a large fabric attached to the back of the carriage, and if you touch the iron it'll hurt like heck so you're rolled up into a little ball trying not to roll right into the iron when the carriage bumps.

In other words, really, really, _really _uncomfortable.

* * *

Rynne gritted her teeth as the wheel of the carriage bumped against a rock. She pressed her hands to the wooden floor of the cage, trying to hold herself in place. That was exceptionally hard to do when one's hands where locked in steel manacles behind their back and a blindfold was around their head.

It had been dropping in temperature throughout the entire ride, and Rynne could feel from the way the carriage moved that they were going at a slight incline. Her arms still throbbed, bruised from the other metal person's rough handling of her.

The kind one had just watched as the other one pushed her arms into the manacles and had manhandled her out of the cell. When he tried to yank the blindfold on her, Rynne had tried to thrash away from him. He'd grabbed her arm and yanked her hair back. She'd fallen to the ground, and the kind one had called for someone. Rynne had tried to get up, but the metal people held her down until someone else came. The nasty one had forced Rynne's head down so she couldn't see anything, but she'd ket thrashing. Then that someone had chanted something quietly, and the eeriness of the chant had been enough to make Rynne shiver and stop fighting.

Every word had drained away some of Rynne's energy. The chant had gone on for what felt like ages, and stopped so suddenly it felt wrong. But then before Rynne could think about it the nasty metal person had grabbed her, lifting her up, and pinched her arm. Hard. It had been excruciating because of his metal hands. But it shouldn't have been because of her scales.

What she'd then found out was that the chant had somehow caused her small ridged horns to shrivel away and her black scales to shrink back inside of her, leaving throbbing, raw mint green skin. Despite the oversized ragged brown dress, she'd felt as though she'd been stripped bare.

The nasty metal person had taken great delight in pinching her arms, hard, every time she'd tried to struggle.

The carriage bumped again and Rynne cried out, but she managed to stop herself from hitting the iron just in time. She heard the nasty metal person laugh and say something to the kind one, although she couldn't hear what.

Suddenly, the earth underneath them _moved_. As though they were riding on some huge animal's back, the earth twisted and convulsed. She shrieked as she felt the carriage tip over. She heard the metal people's yells and the horses' screams. Rynne suddenly felt the blindfold torn from her face as the carriage landed on the ground. Suddenly, Rynne felt herself hit the iron bars.

The pain of the impact was nothing. It was the burn, the terrible, unspeakable, horrific agony as the iron delightfully ripped through her nerves. The brown cotton offered no protection, and with her scales gone her entire back was susceptible. The pain was digging in to her, like hooks, gripping her and snagging into her skin, sending the dreadful burn shooting through her.

Suddenly, she felt strong, soft hands grip her shoulders. The hands pulled her out just as a wave of earth flooded the carriage. When it receded, Rynne opened her eyes. Through a blur of tears, Rynne saw the remains of the upturned carriage. The horses' bloody carcasses, as though the earth had been made of knives, ripping through them. And the bloody, red-slicked metal of the metal people. Nothing remained inside. She would never see what was behind the metal mask of the kind one.

Suddenly, what she was seeing penetrated, and she retched, her body convulsing. Even though she knew something was supposed to come out, nothing did. When she stopped retching, her body was covered in sweat.

_Brennan? _Rynne though deliriously. _Brennie, are you there?_

No answer.

Slowly, Rynne's eyes drooped and closed until the world was nothing but black.


	7. As the Raven Caws

RYNNE

"I thought witches were supposed to have horns."

"They do, idiot!"

"Look! No scales as well! You sure that's her?"

"They just used the _Un Arma _spell on her, idiot! It's obvious!"

"Ow! What was that for?!"

"For being an idiot."

"I wonder if she'll be Maleficent scary or Ertza scary..."

"You don't even know if she's scary or not yet, Gurrug!"

"She's a witch! What else do I need?"

"Shut up, you lot! She's waking up!"

"I wonder how much she heard of that conversa-"

"Shhhhh!"

Rynne blinked open sleepy eyes. Something grey was above her. All at once, her eyesight cleared as she remembered when she first woke up, the metal people grabbing at her. A cave! She was in a cave! No! She had to get out. Now!

Panic started settling in. She felt a scream escape her and she jolted up.

"Stop screaming! Calm down, for magic's sake! You're safe!"

Rynne put a hand to her chest, gasping. The fear... the terror... the confusion... it was all coming back to her. She heard a rustling noise, and looked up.

The oddest assortment of creatures looked back, with curious, wide yellow eyes, mirroring her own. They were only about half her size, but each looked rather like a gargoyle the sculptor had thought was to ugly to be used and thrown away. There were about ten in all. Some were looking at her in open curiosity, some in barely concealed fear, some in absolute terror. For Rynne, this was slightly disconcerting.

Rynne stared, unsure of what to do, her mind flitting between two selves. She looked around, taking in her surroundings. She was in a small underground cave that looked like a dungeon. It was dank, with wet, mossy stone walls with iron hooks set into them. From some, rusty manacles dangled. There were some white shapes in the corner of the room that Rynne didn't want to look at any closer. The bed she had been lying on was simply a wooden bench with an animals' fur laid on it. There were stairs to her left, but the door had been ripped off its hinges, oddly. Rynne frowned. Why put her in a dungeon if they weren't going to do anything to keep here there?

"What's going on?" Rynne asked shakily. Maia replied inside. _I feel like I'm repeating myself a lot. Annoying side effect of amnesia._

No answer from the gargoyle things. "Wh-where am I?" Rynne's voice was a hoarse whisper.

All the gargoyle things were frozen in place like real gargoyles. One blinked. A slightly taller one than the others with huge horns murmured; "I'll go get Ertza," before disappearing up the stairs.

Rynne stood. All of a sudden, she realised the manacles who's grip she'd grown accustomed to were off her. She also realised the ceiling was far, far too low. By bumping her head.

"Yes, that's a problem for some of us too."

That voice... Rynne turned sharply (stooping slightly) to see a familiar person walking down the stairs to the left. Rynne could see it was a middle-aged woman, with light green eyes, wispy lemon-yellow hair and whitish-pale skin. She came close enough that Maia could feel her warm breath. It smelled sweetly of spearmint. Oddly, the woman was dressed in a simple, lemon-yellow dress that perfectly mirrored her hair.

Now Rynne knew where the saying 'ring a bell' came from. The women literally rang a bell of clarity in her head. Maia knew her. Definitely. From Brennie's world. As Rynne - and Maia - stared, she noticed something the dress was, honestly, quite ragged and not very fancy. Even in it's unmarked state it must have been quite plain. The bottom hem of her dress was torn and covered in mud. Something about her was off.

But to Rynne, was something terribly familiar about her in a different way.

"Q-q-q-queen L-L-Leah?" Rynne's eyes were wide in fear. Her hands were shaking at her sides, her feet involuntarily shuffling back. "P-p-please, n-no more iron, please, please, just not the iron, please..."

The 'Queen Leah's' eyebrow raised in an unsaid 'seriously?' She tossed her curls back over her shoulder with a flick of her head, hands on her hips.

Maia's sardonic voice echoed in Rynne's mind. _Well, _that's_ totally the Queen. Yup, that's absolutely 100% the woman who tortured you. No chance of being someone else, none at all. Gotta love that sass, though._

"My, you're one traumatised little witch, aren't you? And I can't believe these imbeciles-" at this she glared at the gargoyles, "-were honestly scared of you! Get out of here, you fools! No wonder you got zapped..."

Rynne stared in astonishment as, at the woman's words, the gargoyles clambered over the top of each other to scramble out the room and up the stairs. One got trampled, face down in the muddy straw. As all the others abandoned it in a clang of their metal armour and a stampede of their feet and claws and hooves, it looked up at the woman fearfully.

"Go!" she barked, hands still on her hips. The gargoyle scrambled out like there was no tomorrow. The woman turned back, an amiable expression on her face.

"So," she said sticking her hand out. "I'm Ertza, the Fourth Fairy. It's a pleasure to meet you, Rynne, daughter of Maleficent."

* * *

QUEEN LEAH

Queen Leah was bored. Incredibly bored. Beyond bored.

It was enough to know what her husband was doing all day, but it was something else to sit there with him as he read through requests, official papers, discussed trade routes, judged hearings and all that blah blah blah. It was a nightmare.

A pang of longing coursed through her. She should be with her daughter right now, with Aurora. It was her fourteenth birthday soon, and Leah hadn't forgotten.

A sudden strike of anger blazed through her. This was all Maleficent's fault! That evil, wicked, malevolent witch, oh, she would be sorry some day... Queen Leah would make sure of that, that the witch and her daughter would both pay, dearly, for what they'd done. As sure as her name was Leah Bernadia, she would make those witches pay.

"Thank you, sir Henry," King Stefan nodded. "Your contribution to this diplomatic agreement shall help us ensure peace between the two provinces, and allow us to foster amicable relations within the populace." King Stefan smiled warmly at the lord as he bowed.

As the lord stood up straight, the torches snuffed out.

"Wh-what's going on?!" Leah started, rising slightly from her seat.

After a sudden quiet, Queen Leah relaxed slightly, sitting back down. "Must have been a gust of wi-"

The doors blew open, banging against the walls. People screamed as lightning flashed and thunder boomed, rain pouring in through the doors and the windows, smashing with loud bursts. An ominous presence filled the room.

The sound of a bird screeching echoed in the room and Queen Leah looked up, heart pounding. A raven circled overhead, right above the king and queen.

Thunder crashed again and a green glow filled the room. Queen Leah gripped the armrests of her throne with white-knuckled hands, heart pounding, breath coming and going in quick gasps. Pure fear and terror coursed through her, singing an operatic solo through her veins.

As people cleared to the edges of the room, terrified, the green glow in the centre brightened. Something black folded out of it, like a bat, green fire flickering around it.

Queen Leah stood up and glanced at her husband, fear morphing her features. Her husband had also stood, staring resolutely ahead, not registering the queens panic.

The bat-like black had taken full shape. Ragged robe, intimidating horns, wicked staff, luminescent yellow eyes. The raven swooped around, landing on the glowing globe at the tip of the staff. As the fire flickered out completely, the terrified silence ended.

People screamed. Noblewomen fainted. Noblemen yelled and scrambled away, not even bothering to catch their swooning female counterparts. Guards cried and clanged as they ran in circles and smashed into one another, trying to find pikes and swords and scrambling for their wits, falling apart like a pieces dropped puzzle.

Maleficent screeched and struck the staff to the ground. Green fire burst from contact, flaring up and around her, creating a circle of fire encompassing her, the raven, and the two monarchs.

Queen Leah was frozen in place, terrified. Her mouth opened and closed in shock. The fairy magic had kept Maleficent out this long; if she had broken through now, something very serious must have happened.

Meaning Maleficent was very, very, _very _angry.

King Stefan however, stepped forward, anger painted on his face, sword drawn. He thrust the sword point at the witch. "You have no business here, you hellish creature! Leave us and this kingdom alone!"

Queen Leah gaped at him, terrified. The people around them quietened, terror and morbid interest keeping them in place.

Maleficent was in no mood for stalling. Her face was a mask of unadulterated rage. Her footsteps unheard, robe swishing, she strode forward until she was at the base of the thrones, glowering at the king.

"_Where is she_!?" Maleficent screamed. "_Where is my daughter_?!"

The sound smashed the glass window panes. People shrieked and shouted, dodging falling glass. Queen Leah screamed as the stained glass windows shattered above her, falling down and covering her and the king with shards and cuts.

"My king! My queen!"

The three turned to see a horde of guards beating through the magical fire, magically imbued spears and pikes at the ready. Maleficent snarled, pure malice etched on her face.

"Fools! I warned you before, but you will not escape unscathed again!" Maleficent raised her arms and the fire flared, attacking at the poor, brave, foolish men. With a magniicent burst of green, the fire flared out into the recesses of the room, blazing through the guards and stopping just short of the terrified people hiding at the edge.

It was a terrible sight. Those not killed in the initial flare screamed gurgling screams as their hands, then their feet, then their limbs melted away, fusing with the iron armour they had foolishly believed would protect them. Maleficent sneered, staring down any others who would try cross her. As the screams of the last guard finally faded, Maleficent turned back to the monarchs.

A young girl was sobbing hysterically in the crowd, clutching on to a woman that was surely her mother. The woman was aghast, tears streaming down her face. A young boy, barely able to walk, clung to his sister's leg and wailed. The sound was abruptly cut off as the witch's raven swept past them, raking a talon over the young girl's cheek. Queen Leah retched, hand over her mouth, tears streaming down her face. This was pure evil. How could someone conceivably do that, even think about it, actually _cause _it...

Maleficent's flinty gaze was murderous. "What have you done with my daughter?! Answer me! NOW!"

King Stefan, supporting his wife, set her back on the glass-covered throne. He stood up to his full, intimidating height, brandishing the iron sword. "We sent her to the Forbidden Mountain. What has happened since then is of no connection to us."

Maleficent's eyes flashed. "Liars. What have you done with Rynne?" Her voice was a deathly whisper. There was nothing, no remorse, or mercy, in her eyes, nothing but the blackest, purest hatred. "Staked her through the heart? Pushed her off the tallest tower? Threw her into the holy lake? Cut off her head? Drowned her in a vat of melted iron?"

The king growled. "I told you. We sent her to the Forbidden Mountain."

Maleficent screeched again, striking her staff on the ground. "You _liars!_ You _humans!_ _What have you done with her!?"_

The king barely flinched at the rising fire circling Maleficent, slowly reaching for him and his wife. The glass was starting to melt, burning the queen's shoulder. Leah flinched, terror and pain addling her perception.

"That's rich, coming from you," the king hissed, the fire hissing and shirking away from the aura of his sword. "Who placed a death curse on our child?"

In a flash Maleficent was there, the wooden tip of her staff pressing into the king's throat, the king himself pressed against the floor, gurgling, face reddening, hands scrambling at the staff holding him down, sword clattering to the ground. He gasped like a fish, unable to form words. Maleficent coldly looked on. She pressed the staff in harder. Queen Leah looked on it terror, lying in a pool of melting glass, unable to do a thing.

"_You_ were the one who threw my mother into the holy lake!" Maleficent hissed, her voice filled with deadly malice, spoken quietly for only the king's ears. "_You_ slashed me with an iron sword until I couldn't even scream any longer, torturing me for days on end for information I couldn't give until I was more dead than alive!" Maleficent leaned in, driving the staff harder and harder into the king's windpipe. "I think it's only fair. A life for a life, a daughter for a mother. A daughter for a mother and years and years of pain you caused. It even sounds like you're getting a better deal."

The king was turning purple. "No," Queen Leah whispered, shaking her head. "No..."

No one heard. Maleficent lifted up the staff and swiped the king across the face. Blood spurted from his nose and mouth. Leah gasped, tears of pain and horror streaming down her face. She struggled, gasping, but she was held down by the melting glass. It was swirling around her, burning her, locking her in place. Maleficent turned away from the king.

"So, you place a sleeping death curse on my daughter, then you send her conscience to another realm!" Maleficent swept around, robe swirling up around her. "All of the pain in my life is your fault! _Your fault! _The only reason you are still alive is because I want you to feel the pain I felt, Stefan! All that torture you inflicted on me! So I will, make no mistake, kill your precious little daughter!" Maleficent glared, her green knuckles gripping the staff. Her raven cocked it's head and gave the glass-covered queen an evil eye.

The king was sitting up, reaching for his sword. Maleficent saw this and, without compunction, let a blast of green fire out of her hand. The king yelled as it slammed into his chest, carrying him into the wall. The fire dissipated, leaving a black mark across his kingly robes. He dropped, crumpling on the ground.

Maleficent strode across to him and gripped his throat in her other hand. "And then, and only then..." Maleficent leaned in, hateful yellow eyes glowering at the king. "I will kill you."

Maleficent dropped the king. He fell to the ground, gasping. Then, Maleficent turned to Leah.

"But for now, I'll kill _her._"

The queen's terror became too much. Tears streamed down her eyes. She struggled uselessly as Maleficent walked slowly towards her, bending down to see eyes to eye with the queen. Queen Leah was almost completely covered, only her face not glassed over.

Maleficent surveyed the queen's pleading face. "I have always wondered how humans could so blindly detest witches, making them out into monsters without knowing what the really are." Then Maleficent's face, one that could have been beautiful, became ugly with hatred. "People like you made me into this, O Queen. You caused this. Whatever you ordered done to my daughter, you pay for it now."

Then, she lifted the staff high. The green orb glowed so brightly it seemed as if the light would shatter it.

The queen screamed as her ribs shattered. She screamed as she felt the vile magic coursing through her, swirling through her veins, bringing nausea to every part of her body. She screamed as the glass around her solidified, creeping up to cover her completely.

"No! _No!_" Queen Leah screamed, tears streaming. She thrashed her head, but she couldn't escape the devilish enchantment. "Please, no!"

Maleficent turned away as the glass completely covered the sovereign. Stefan slowly stood, staring in horror as, in place of his wife, lay a terrified glass statue.

The room went quiet. Maleficent's fire flared down. The king, eyes wide, looked from Leah to Maleficent. "You... what..." Stefan fell to his knees, eyes crazed, hands on his head. Maleficent watched haughtily as the man who had almost tortured her to death fell crying in front of his glassy wife.

"What have you done?! You monster! You've killed her! You killed her!"

Maleficent glared hatefully at the king. "How do you think I felt when I saw my mother, dissolving into nothing in the holy lake? How do you think I felt as I watched her die, knowing I could do nothing, that I would never see her again, that I might be next? _How do you think I felt?!"_

The king looked up at her, eyes filled with tears. "What do you want, you monster? What is it that you want?"

"Revenge," Maleficent hissed, gripping her staff. "Now. Tell me what you've done to my daughter."

King Stefan laughed, the laugh of a man who knew he was dead. "You'll never get your revenge. Never. Not now."

"What have you done?!" Maleficent suddenly grabbed the king by the throat, eyes wild. "Tell me!"

The king glared at her. "We made your daughter the keystone."

Maleficent dropped the king, stumbling back. Her yellow eyes were wide. "What-"

The king stood, finally reclaiming his sword. "Yes. We made her the keystone of your curse."

"NO!" Maleficent screamed. "_You tied her into my curse!_"

The king gave a sour, mirthless laugh. "It was on the note that we sent with the young witch to the Forbidden Mountain. Oh yes; you never did get that parcel, did you?" It was the king's turn to watch on coldly. "You will never kill my daughter. The curse will never strike her, and she is far away and safe from you. Give up, witch."

Maleficent's face became a snarl of rage. "You don't know witches, O Stefan. We don't give up, curse or no curse."

Then, without a second glance at the king, Maleficent lifted up the staff and brought it down on the queen.

"NO!"

As the raven cawed, as the people cried out, as the love of the king's life shattered into millions of pieces, Maleficent disappeared in a globe of green fire, her wicked laughter echoing in every corner of the room.


	8. Unsaid Promises

**A conversation between Maia and you (the reader):**

When something happens that the odds are so against it's like magic, there's that odd feeling that you get. Indescribable.

Urgh. Now I'm just babbling on. Don't bother yourself with me and my (un)philosophical musings.

* * *

"You- what- I mean- whaaaaaat?" Rynne gasped. She felt more like Maia now, the other girl.

Someone giggled in her head. _You sound just like you did before! Who're you talking to now? I can't see them this time._

_Not now, Brennie._

Ertza looked unimpressed. "You don't know who the other three fairies are, do you."

Rynne glared at her. "I barely believed fairies existed!"

_Hang on a minute... since when? _Rynne thought. _Since always, _Brennie thought back cheerfully.

Ertza clapped her hands together like a proud parent. "So you _do _remember the other realm! Do you remember me?"

Rynne's mouth opened and closed. She sat down on the bed, light-headed. She put up her hand.

"Can you please just explain to me what's going on?"

Ertza sat down beside her. "Of course! Where do you want to start?"

Rynne looked at her wearily. "The beginning, please."

Ertza explained why Rynne didn't know anything of this world (she'd been asleep most of her life) while her consciousness had formed a different body in the other world. Ertza had then explained that the king and queen had ordered Ertza to pretend the world Rynne had been sent to was a figment of Rynne's imagination (only the royals and the fairies knew of it's existence) but Ertza had managed to get rid of the charm forcing her to tell that lie.

Then Ertza explained about fairies. There were a few family lines. The Garnatia, the Emaralia, the Azuria and the Bernadia.

"The current four fairies are yours truly, Ertza Bernadia, Flora Garnatia, Fauna Emaralia and Merryweather Azuria," Ertza recounted. "Barely anyone knows of the Bernadia line anymore."

Then she went on to explain the tradition. "Each family names the children after the power theme. For example, the Garnatia's are all named after flowers. We Bernadia mostly named after the earth itself, for that's our domain. My name stems from the word eretz, which means land in some old language."

Rynne stopped for a moment. "Your domain, earth. You mean, it's your power source?"

Ertza nodded. "Yes. The earth is my power source, but I can also manipulate it in a way the others can't."

Rynne felt a wave of nausea. She'd been the one to kill the metal people.

Rynne stayed silent, but Maia butted in. "What do you mean by 'current four fairies'?"

"When fairies have children, at a certain age those children take over from them and the previous fairies lose most of their power. It's kind of like taking over a parent's store. Witches are a bit different. The elder one has to die for the younger to inherit power, but the younger one is still attuned to magic. They just can't manipulate it."

Rynne felt slightly awkward. "But... fairies have _kids_? I thought there were only girls!"

Ertza shook her head. "No, that's physically impossible. The children are literally born of magic."

_Brennie, you shouldn't be listening to this._

_Oh, pleeeeease? This is so much more interesting than maths!_

_Wait, you're in school right now?!_

_That doesn't matter! Please?_

_Argh, fine. Not as if I could stop you anyway._

_Yay!_

Ertza had been watching this entire mind conversation with a look of apprehension. "Your brother, isn't it."

Rynne nodded, a pang of sorrow threading through her. "Yes... keep going, please."

* * *

MALEFICENT

Maleficent paced the cold stone central room. With gargoyle-decorated high arches, gothic design and a perpetual cold, her castle would comfort her even in her worst moods. But not today.

Maleficent turned and smashed her fist down on a little glass doll on the table. Childish memories she didn't need.

"Damn those impudent fairies! _Damn _them!" Maleficent hissed. She sat down on a stone chair, massaging her temples.

This situation looked more hopeless than before. Why had she lost her temper like that and murdered the queen? Yes, she'd finally gotten rid of the witch-hating bitch, but at what cost? The entire kingdom getting pitchforks and _Un Arma _charms and storming the Forbidden Mountain, perhaps?

Not only that, but they had tied her own daughter into the curse! As the _keystone._

Why? _Why?!_ There were so many loopholes in curses, but why that one?!

She sighed, standing, picking up her staff. At least they hadn't figured out the _other _loophole. Rynne could still be killed and remain the keystone... then Maleficent would never get her revenge. At least they didn't know it was possible. Even if they did figure it out, actually doing it was almost impossible.

Speaking of loopholes...

Maleficent felt a rush of excitement. Yes! There was a way to kill Aurora without killing Rynne!

"Diablo!" Maleficent turned abruptly, her robe swishing behind her. "Come; we have work to do."

The raven swooped down from his high perch, settling down on the top of Maleficent's staff. Maleficent strode from the room, straight past the shattered remains of the glass doll.

A glass doll that used to have a pair of wings, a wand, blond hair... and a yellow dress.

* * *

RYNNE

Ertza went on to explain what Rynne was. Rynne was a dark fairy. They were more commonly known as witches, because their species really was so different from fairies it was like calling a raven a swan. There was only one known family line anywhere near the area of Stefan's kingdom.

"And your mother... your mother is Maleficent, the current witch."

Chill seeped into the room at the mention of the name. Rynne shuddered, despite the fact she didn't really know who she was. By the way Ertza said it, she knew 'Maleficent' wasn't a good thing.

"Who-"

Ertza put up her hand. "You don't want to know."

"Yes, I do," Maia's consciousness countered, acting in place of Rynne. "I'm not a baby; I can handle it!"

"Are you sure?" Ertza asked warningly. Rynne nodded vehemently.

With a sigh, Ertza capitulated. "You're mother is one of the most evil witches that's ever lived. She's killed countless humans and magical creatures alike, and cursed a good many of them. A generation back, you could still live in the woods near the Forbidden Mountain. Now you can't unless you like the idea of 'mysteriously' disappearing, never to be seen again, or dramatically disappearing in a big ball of green fire. She's started a single-handed war with Stefan, and they had an uneasy peace until Aurora's birth blew it all to hell."

Rynne stared at Ertza, stunned. For a moment, her mouth just moved, soundless. "Wait... that's... my mother's done all that?"

Ertza nodded pityingly. "Yes."

Rynne's eyebrows started to crease "And... more? Worse?"

"Yes."

A tear trickled down Rynne's cheek. So this was truly why the queen had hated her so much. Daughter of... a monster.

A gargoyle sneezed, garnering an evil look from Ertza. Since when had they snuck back in here? Rynne seized on the moment to change the subject. She indicated the gargoyles. "Mind introducing me?"

"Sure." Ertza turned to them. "Line up in the order I memorised so I don't have to actually bother with remembering which one of you is which."

As the gargoyles rearranged themselves, Rynne noticed something else about them. They all were maimed in some way. One was missing an eye, one a horn, one a finger, one a whole leg. The others had similar defects. Rynne could guess why.

"Okay!" Ertza clapped her hands. "Introducing Gurrug, the space head one, Mirrik, the wise one, Herro, the tough one, Kolle, the nice one, Terlo, the scary one, Ulki, the quiet one, Orre, the ugly one, Auki, the disgustingly positive one, Durru, the joker and Iwik, the idiot."

A chorus of hi's, hello's, nice to meet you's, glad your not scary's and I'm not an idiot's followed.

Rynne smiled. At her smile, most of the gargoyles creatures were caught of guard and looked somewhat terrified. Ertza made a shooing motion and they scrambled upstairs in tha funny way of theirs. With a sad smile, Rynne turned back to Ertza. "Anything else I ought to know?"

Ertza thought for a moment, then continued. "You're kinda cursed."

Rynne jumped. "Wh-what?"

"Well, tied into a curse," Ertza amended. Then, she looked sheepish. "I... tied you in."

Rynne stared at her. "Wait, _you_ put me into an existing curse?"

Ertza shook her head. "No, no! I just made you the keystone!"

Rynne stared at her. "The keystone?! You made me the _keystone?!" _For some reason, Maia blanked. But Rynne knew what it was. "I'm pretty sure that means that the curse hinges on my life!"

Ertza hung her head. "Pretty much..."

"Argh!" Rynne put her head in her hands. "This is just about the worst thing that's happened to me, and trust me, that's saying something."

Ertza shook her head vehemently. "No, no! It actually saves someone else's life!"

Rynne looked up. "What?"

Ertza explained. "Your mother cast a death curse on someone. The princess Aurora, actually. Well, the king wasn't going to let that happen, so he renounced my sentence long enough for me to tie you into the curse."

Rynne screwed her eyes shut. "Slow down... too much information. What sentence? Why you? Aren't there three others?"

Ertza sighed dramatically. "Yes, there are three others, but I'm by far the most powerful. And my sentence is banishment and a light binding of my power. Or as much those three old hags could do anyway," Ertza spat.

"Banishment? For what?"

Ertza tossed her hair over her shoulder. "I prefer not to talk about it. Everyone has their secrets, yes?"

* * *

YEARS AND YEARS AGO

Years and years ago, a young girl in a yellow dress and blond hair stood in a clearing in the woods. She walked over to the tallest oak tree and began to climb. She reached the same spot as always, and began to flutter her small, magic-fueled wings.

Just as she ran out of energy, she reached the top of the tree. There was a special little crook just higher then the tree line, but hidden from view by the leaves backing it. From there, facing the right direction, one could see everything northwards.

Even the Forbidden Mountain.

Smiling, she leaned back against the branches. One twig nearby was just the size and shape of her mother's wand- the wand she would soon inherit. She imagined magic coursing through it, responding to her touch.

Still smiling, the winged girl peeked out to make sure no one was watching her. Then, she turned towards the Forbidden Mountain and waved.

* * *

RYNNE

Rynne nodded, uncomfortable. "Could... could you tell me more about the curse?"

Ertza nodded. "So Maleficent put a death curse on the princess-"

Rynne put her hand up. "Hold up."

Ertza snickered. "You speak like a person from that other realm. It's really entertaining."

Rynne rolled her eyes. "Ha-ha. Lucky we have the same language so I can entertain you with all these interesting phrases. Now, can I ask a question?"

"Sure." Ertza examined her nails.

"Why place a death curse on the princess if she could've just killed her then and there?"

Ertza smiled. "What Maleficent really wants is revenge. But to really get it, she can't just hurt Stefan. No, no. To get her revenge, she needs to make Stefan suffer as much as possible."

Rynne was quiet. She and Maia were both solemn.

Ertza continued as if there'd been no interruption. "None of the other fairies could undo the curse. Even Merryweather, who's very good at altering curses, couldn't change this one. But Stefan wouldn't let his daughter die. So, of course, he called on yours truly. He made me tie you into the curse. Basically, as long as you're alive, the princess Aurora can't die via the curse. You die, she can die."

Rynne gasped. "Then what's stopping Maleficent from just killing me?!"

Ertza smiled sadly. "She may be a monster, but she won't kill you. That's a line she won't cross."

* * *

KING STEFAN

King Stefan was sitting in his throne, despondent. His black beard had grown slightly too long and there were gigantic shadows under his eyes.

But only one thing kept him going. The same lust for revenge that drove his worst enemy.

Stefan sighed. At this late hour, he was alone. He rested his chin on his hands, remembering the past. Remembering what he'd done.

He and the rest of the kingdom had watched, at the edge of their seats, as the witch was pushed into the holy lake. Everyone had been quiet at the beginning, with bated breath.

And then the screaming started.

The witch had screamed, writhing, but with her hands tied she couldn't hope to swim away. Stefan had stood beside his father, next to the two guards holding down the younger witch.

The entire kingdom had been jeering as the witch had drowned, dissolving in the holy lake. Stefan had taken a deep breath, savouring the moment.

Then he'd turned around, about to say a cruel word to the young witch. But when he'd finally seen her face, he found he couldn't.

Stefan would never forget the young Maleficent's expression. She had watched, eyes impossibly wide and yellow, mouth open in shock and horror.

Then, when the last of the witch's blood had dissolved in the holy lake, the entire kingdom had burst out in applause.

Then the worst sound Stefan ever had, and would hear. Screaming. It had been worse, far worse, than the elder witch's.

Maleficent. Everyone went quiet. Maleficent, crying had thrashed away from the guards, falling to all fours. The _Un Arma _spell had been used, of course. She had reached out to the water, screaming. But that time it'd been words. Mother, she'd screamed. Over and over and over.

They hadn't killed her because she had information. Even if they had, someone else would simply have been born a witch, restarting the line. You couldn't get rid of that kind of powerful magic, no matter how vile, no matter how much you wanted to. Maleficent hadn't died that day.

But in hindsight, Stefan knew she had wanted too.

* * *

RYNNE

Ertza asked Rynne a question. "You're brother communicates with you?"

"Yeah..."

"How?"

Rynne felt uncomfortable. "Um... for some reason, he can see my shadow in... whatever realm that is. He talks to it in his head, and I hear and answer."

Ertza stared at her. "As you are or your human form?"

Rynne felt startled. _Brennie?!_

_Yeah?_

_What do I look like to you?_

_Just like always. But sometimes, there's this... monster following you around. The monster is really scary... I have nightmares about her..._

Rynne felt sick to her stomach. _What does it look like?_

_She looks like... You. Except, not you... she's green... and looks like a small version of the evil character from a Disney movie, that witch. _

Privately, Rynne tried to remember what a movie was, but couldn't. Some things Maia remembered, some she didn't. _Which character?_

_Uhhh, I can't remember her name. Y'know... the one from Sleeping Beauty._

Nope. No clue. _It's_ _okay, Brennie. I promise the monster won't hurt you._

_It's not me I'm worried about, it's- uh oh, Mrs Taylor's asked me a question. Gotta go!_

Ertza looked sympathetic at Rynne's twisted expression. "He sees both, doesn't he...?"

Rynne nodded, a tear trickling down her cheek. "Yes. He thinks _this _me, is a monster, following my human form around... he said I look like a character from some... movie, whatever that is."

Ertza smiled. "I remember. I visited your world a lot. Movies are really popular. A movie is a moving picture that tells a story."

Rynne cocked her head. "What's 'Disney'?"

Ertza nodded. "Oh, yes, him. There was a man, a while ago, called Walt Disney. He was a prophet actually, and came from our world. He saw snippets of what was happening over here in our future and decided to make money by making movies about what he saw. People in your world loved his stories."

Rynne's stomach clenched. "I wonder how _this_ story ends..."

Ertza didn't notice Rynne' distress and flapped her hand. "Don't worry about it; prophets almost always get it wrong anyway."

Rynne cringed. "That's reassuring. What if I need to ask one for help?"

Ertza grinned. "Don't."

Rynne slumped. Now that she knew, at least partially, what was going on in her life, she wished she didn't.

Ertza put her hand on Rynne's shoulder. Rynne gasped, jerking away.

She never wanted people touching her again. Never, ever again. Not after those metal people.

Rather than saying something sympathetic or comforting, Ertza just muttered 'traumatised' under her breath before standing and leaving the room. A few moments later she returned, a cork-stopped glass vial in her hand and the gargoyle things trailing after her.

Ertza held it out to Rynne. Rynne stood, studying it's contents. The liquid inside was a thick, dark crimson. Rynne uncorked it and sniffed it. There was a sharp tang that made Maia think of money and metal and tripping over and hurting herself, and it made a wave of hunger rush through Rynne. But neither could identify what it was.

The gargoyles all stared impatiently. Rynne stoppered it. "What is this?"

Ertza's expression, a rather fixed smile, didn't change. "You are hungry, aren't you?"

Rynne gave Ertza a sideways look, then shrugged and unstopped the bottle. The gargoyles all watched in rapt interest.

Rynne hesitated slightly, slowly tipping a drop onto her tongue.

* * *

STEFAN

Many, many years ago, Stefan had walked as a child many times down to the deepest dungeons that the palace possessed. This particular time something was different. He held an iron knife in his hand. Accompanying him had been the warden and at least three guards.

They'd all stepped back and let the warden open the door. As it swung open, the only light Stefan saw inside was the glow of luminescent yellow eyes.

Maleficent was barely more than a skeleton then. Her scales were gone, horns dissolved, hair matted. Two years of imprisonment, exposure to iron, sustained _Un Arma_ and constant torture had left her weak and hollow. Around the cell, too high to reach, were small _Un Arma _charms.

"Here," the warden had said gruffly, throwing her a small glass vial of red liquid. They'd all watched as Maleficent had leapt forward, trying to catch it, but the throw fell short and the vial smashed on the ground. Red liquid pooled out, seeping into the cracks between the stones.

Maleficent's arms shook, tears filling her eyes. Desperately she tried to save some, placing her hands in the red pools and then sucking her red-stained fingers in an effort to get as much as possible. Her hands and the floor were stained red from other instances like this. It was this and other forms of psychological torture that had truly broken her.

"Disgusting," a guard had spat.

"Hellish," another agreed.

Maleficent had hung her head, not meeting their eyes.

Stefan had always been ordered by his father to watch the witch's torture. He'd been told it was a learning experience, something that might be useful later on. But maybe, just maybe, he'd held the tiniest kernel of pity for her. Until today. Today, he had to let it go. Today, he'd been ordered to do it himself.

Maleficent had raised her head slowly, shaking as she watched Stefan take out a small iron knife. Then she'd looked down again.

For another four years, until Maleficent and Stefan were both seventeen, Stefan would torture her himself. Every time, as one of the guards had asked her questions and Stefan had dutifully carried out the guard's orders, Maleficent would always look him in the eyes before he'd done the deed.

Then, he hadn't known the significance. But now, as Stefan stood just outside the very same cell, looking at the red staining the floor, the walls, the bed, the red hand prints, he realised what it was.

Maleficent had been promising revenge.

* * *

RYNNE

Rynne spat it out.

"Blood! What's wrong with you?! You gave me the wrong vial!" But even as she said it, thrusting it at Ertza, she knew that Ertza had given her the right one. The flavour had been... like blood, but it hadn't disgusted her. It had been so revitalising, so refreshing. She wanted to drink it so badly, but at the same time, she was disgusted with herself.

Ertza lost her smile. "If you won't drink it, I'll make you. You're on the brink of death as it is."

Rynne was startled by her seriousness and downed the vial in one gulp. Oh, actually swallowing it! She felt so much stronger, as though it had literally filled her veins and was pumping energy through her body.

Ertza smiled as she took the vial back. "Another reason everyone is scared of your kind. No one wants to end up your lunch."

Rynne felt a pang of guilt. "Where... where'd it, y'know..."

"Come from?" Ertza finished. She shrugged. "Mine."

Rynne shuddered. "Why?"

"Blood with magic in it is better for you, especially when you're in this state."

Rynne looked down at herself. "The brink-of-starvation and the... _Narma _or whatever it was?"

Ertza smiled. "_Un Arma. _It's one of those annoying anti-witch spells that even humans have in charms. Just gets rid of your horns and scales for a while, makes you easier to kill. But don't worry, it'll grow back eventually." She surveyed Rynne. "Maybe about the same time your hair'll harden."

"What?" Rynne asked.

"You're hair hardens at a certain age and becomes an extension of your horns," Ertza explained. "It's protective, like your scales. So when everything grows back, only your face, hands and feet'll be exposed."

"Right," Rynne said. Weirder and weirder. "I take it witches have always been... well, prosecuted. Handy adaptations?"

Ertza nodded. "You could say that... It's kind of hard to have a truce with a creature who feeds off of blood, uses dark, twisted magic, has a naturally cruel disposition and looks like a demon."

* * *

RYNNE, WEEKS LATER

Rynne spent her days in Ertza's home mostly despondent. The gargoyle creatures were interesting; half of them were scared to death of her, the other half were insatiably curious. The one known as Kolle lived up to his moniker of being the 'nice' one, always politely greeting her and never running away too quickly when she said something the 'goyles designated as scary. He seemed genuinely kind. Kolle was only as tall as Rynne's waist. He looked a bit like a misshapen deer, with an incredibly narrow face and large antlers. He even had two hooves for feet, furry hindquarters and claws for hands.

The one called Terlo, on the other hand, was another matter. He had been called the 'scary' one. He, too, certainly lived up to it.

Terlo was the largest of all the gargoyle creatures by far, just reaching Ertza's collarbone, making him only slightly shorter than Rynne. He was quite frightening, with an appearance that resembled a half-dragon-half-bear with scaly legs that gave way to a shaggy torso, one scraggly and torn wing, scaly but bear-like arms and a head that recalled a furry dragon.

It wasn't just his appearance that made Rynne uncomfortable. It was the way he was always watching her, always on the prowl as if on the lookout for prey. Despite his missing wing, he seemed to exude this aura of dominance and power.

That was probably why he was called 'the scary one'.

Ertza was always kind to Rynne. Rynne was starting to get restless and stir-crazy from being underground for so long, and Ertza promised that soon they'd figure something out and Rynne could go out safely.

Rynne knew that really she shouldn't ask of so much effort. Ertza was sacrificing a lot to keep her safe. What with Stefan hunting for her and Maleficent as well, she could barely breath without worrying that someone was spying on her for either of the two. Stefan and Maleficent became these ever-growing powerful beings, the incarnations of what-should-be-feared in this world. They became Rynne's objects of terror, and fascination; the two conflicting forces, the two sides to choose from, neither of which were particularly safe.

Rynne wondered what she'd do if she met Stefan again. Maia would have spat in his face. Rynne wondered what she'd do if she ever met Maleficent. Maia would have stabbed her face with an iron dagger, if only she could reliably hold it herself.

She found herself half-wishing she was back in whatever realm Brennie was from, back fully as Maia O'Harris, not stuck with two people in the same body. Sharing was getting a bit odd. Rynne's budding personality had developed into a cautious, almost cowardly neurotic worrier. It drove Maia mad. Maia was stubborn, sarcastic and a fair bit reckless. Well, extremely reckless. The two could only be less suited to sharing a body if Rynne had been an optimist.

Rynne was currently reading. She'd been reading up a bit on the kingdom's history, meaning reading such dry tomes as _Fairies Through the Ages_. She wanted to fill in any gaps she could possibly have.

Fairies and witches had once been one and the same, but after a feud some had been cast out. Those had been using darker magic, and eventually their appearance and biology changed to reflect that. Because of that, arguably the eldest fairy family, the Garnatia, had an age-old feud with the Draginan, the eldest of the witch lines.

It seemed that Stefan's family had been the royal one for centuries. There had used to have been only two fairy lines, the Garnatia and the Aquaria, but the Aquaria split into the Emaralia and the Azuria and the Bernadia had popped up from nowhere as a new magical manifestation.

There had used to have been two witch families as well. The Draginan and the Ruinan. Rynne and Maleficent were of the Draginan line; Rynne tried saying her full name out loud, but it felt wrong, like it didn't belong to her. Likely Maia's influence.

The Ruinan line was no more. Three centuries ago, the Ruinan witch, Dire, cast a curse on the young queen of the time to make her unable to bear children. Because of the ancient feud between the Garnatia and the Draginan, the Ruinan witch was sick of it and tried to end it. She cursed the queen because she was of the Garnatia fairy family line. The king, sporting the Sword of Truth, an ancient magical item, was not happy with being rendered heirless and killed Dire, and her daughter, Misera, effectively ending their family line. Some human child would have been born witch somewhere, but they'd never become as powerful or as influential as the original Ruinans. As Rynne read on, she found herself rooting for the witches, even though Maia seemed to be disgusted with the wanton murder on both sides.

At least the Draginan witch of the time, Argute, got the king back for it.

Rynne sighed and closed the book. If the present was any indication, the king had remarried and had an heir, as Stefan was of his family, and there had obviously been other Garnatias as well.

For some reason the thought crossed her mind of the Garnatia fairy, Flora, and Maleficent having a giant magical prank war. Rynne frowned. That was Maia's thinking, clouding her own.

But she had to allow herself a think about Maia's idea. Was it possible that all of these problems were rooted in the fairies? The fairies and the witches had a rift, centuries ago, that had resulted in some of the fairies becoming dark creatures who gained their power from hellish sources. Maybe after that they'd been using magic to mess with each other ever since. Stefan and his daughter could have just been the innocent victims of some ancient on-going battle between the fairies and the witches.

Rynne pulled the book back open again, an idea striking her. Leafing through the book, she found as current as the history would get. There, she found a small drawing of a Draginan family tree. It went until Maleficent, a line underneath her ending in a question mark. Above Maleficent was the name 'Maligna'.

Rynne scanned the pages furtively, waiting for the topic to turn from the boring ol' other fairies to her grandmother. At last, the chapter turned.

Maligna had killed the elder Garnatia fairy, Hana, making the younger one, Flora, come in to her role and magic. This had inflamed their somewhere-between-rivalry-and-war. It seemed that Maia had been right on the mark of her idea of a magical prank war.

Rynne felt Maia's ego swell and changed her thinking; Maia had been right in a roundabout way.

Maia seemed put out, and stayed silent and let Rynne read.

In the ensuing years tensions tightened, and ended in a great battle in which the witch, Maligna, was defeated and she and her daughter Maleficent were captured.

Rynne eagerly turned the page, lusting for the knowledge. She needed to know what happened.

It seemed there was a lake in the kingdom known as the holy lake. It was filled with millennia of culminating and growing magic, and was the deathbed of many witches years and years before.

Maligna had been drowned there.

Rynne stared at the words on the page. In that dispassionate voice of a history book, it stated it cleanly and plainly. _The witch Maligna was drowned. The younger witch Maleficent was imprisoned, as killing her would only result in another witch being born, as magic so powerful cannot be removed from this world no matter how vile it may be. At the time of publication, there is nothing else to say on the topic of Maligna or the newest Draginan witch.  
_

Rynne closed the book. It seemed Maia had slightly missed the mark after all. Maleficent was in this twofold; revenge on Stefan, for Maligna, and the on-going war with the fairies.

Sheesh, some legacy she was inheriting.

Rynne was just closing her eyes, debating on whether or not to blow out the candle beside her, when Ertza dashed into the room, her eyes wide with panic.

"It's Stefan!" She gasped. "He's coming!"


	9. Twisted Truths

**A conversation between Maia and you (the reader):**

I have a feeling I'm dealing with a case of split personality here.

* * *

"Come on!" Ertza grabbed Rynne's hand, dragging her out of the room. Ertza ran through the maze-like passages down into the old cell-like room Rynne had first awoken in.

"Ertza!" Kolle clip-clopped out of another of the underground cave's halls. "They're trying to force their way through!"

No sooner had he said it, the room trembled as though it was an earthquake's centre. The stone ceiling started cracking, the bed breaking, the gargoyles falling on top of each other. Ertza herself was barely able to stay standing.

Rynne, on the other hand, felt a sudden change in personality. Maia was suddenly gone, replaced by the strange girl in a strange world with strange happenings.

Rynne tumbled to the floor, unable to stand. She landed askew on her left wrist, and a sharp snap and a burst of pain echoing through her senses. She screamed, her wrist on fire, and suddenly the ground stopped.

Ertza was the first to recover.

"This is the second bloody time..." she hissed. Her voice burst with frustration, but Rynne recognised the fear in her eyes. "He knew I was connected to the earth. That's why he's trying to force us through. He's trying to distract me!" Ertza pinched the bridge of her nose, eyes closed. "Kolle! Terlo! Take Rynne through the passage. Ulki, check upstairs."

Ulki, who was every bit as silent as Ertza had promised, snuck with soundless feet slowly up the stairs.

Kolle and Terlo, of course. The two she'd been seeing the most of. They ushered Rynne into the shadowy corner of the room. Kolle pressed his claws against a large flagstone near the bottom of the wall, pushing it further in. With a grinding noise, it slid sideways until a small, black passage remained. It was barely wide enough for the bear-like Terlo to fit, and only just high enough for Rynne to make it on all fours.

Ertza stared at them. "What are you waiting for?! Go!"

As if in reminder, the earth shook. Rynne was suddenly aware of the sound of yelling.

Ertza turned back to them, abject terror on her face. "GO!"

Terlo bent down and crawled straight through, beckoning for Rynne to follow. Rynne paused for a moment. A crash sounded somewhere above them, and she gave small squeak and slammed down onto the ground, crawling forward.

_Mental note, _Maia drawled, back with Rynne._ Get new clothes._

Kolle right behind her, Terlo right in front of her, the odd trio made their way through the tunnel. The light got dimmer and dimmer the further they got, showing no sign of an end to the tunnel.

Suddenly, with a crash, the minimal light disappeared completely.

"Ah! What was that?!" Kolle breathed. His voice was a high warble, and slightly wheezy.

"They shut the tunnel," Terlo growled, his voice stentorian and bear-like.

He didn't need to continue. It meant the others had been found.

Kolle started crying. It was silent, but Rynne could hear his ragged breaths.

"Come on, Kolle," Terlo said. Although his tone was kind, his voice still sent shivers up Rynne's spine. "Ertza trusted us with Rynne. We must deliver."

They continued forward. Kolle and Rynne bumped and bruised themselves the entire time, feeling their way with uncertainty in the dark. Terlo proceeded without fear or hesitation. Rynne envied him.

It became colder and wetter. For Rynne, she had no problem breathing, but Terlo and Kolle were both panting.

"Not much farther," Terlo huffed. "Just a little bit longer."

After a few more minutes, Rynne bumped into Terlo's furry back. Kolle put his claw on Rynne's toe, causing her to yelp in pain. Terlo shushed them both.

"This is very, very, very dangerous! Do you want to get caught _already_?!"

He spoke as if it was a given they would.

"Get caught?!" Rynne squeaked. "I thought we were escaping from the king!"

"We are," Kolle said through chattering teeth. "Our escape route just happens to be through the Forbidden Fortress."

Rynne stared at the gargoyle creatures. "As in... on the Forbidden Mountain?"

Terlo nodded. "Yes."

Rynne began to panic. "As in, Maleficent?!"

"Shhh!" Kolle shushed her. His eyes were also wide with panic. "Yes, Maleficent! Now do you want her to find us and kill us, or do you want to get out of here?!"

Rynne shook. "Definitely the second option."

But something was wrong with what Kolle had said. Something was wrong. _Kill us. _What had Ertza said?

"We must keep on going," Terlo growled though his raggedy breaths. "Just... a little... longer..."

All of a sudden, Terlo stopped. "We're here."

Without another word he stood. The sound of grating stone cut through Rynne's ears. Light peeked through the cracks between the stones as Terlo pushed it out. He clambered out. "Come on, you two! Get out!"

The two gladly pulled themselves out. They appeared to be in an underground hallway, as the ceiling was fairly low and there was moss growing between cracks in the stone.

Terlo fitted the stone slab back into the ground. "Come on. Let's go."

Rynne and Kolle shared a look of fear as they slowly began treading behind the bear-like creature.

Soon, the trio reached stairs. Ascending them fearfully, they were relieved to find no guards, and extremely relieved to find no Maleficent.

Then the real trek started. These corridors seemed endless. Not once did Terlo, who seemed to be the only one who knew where they were going, go through the high arches to the sides that led off into more endless corridors. Rynne had not spotted a single window, though there were plenty of crumbled walls that showed other rooms and crumbled bits of the ceiling that boasted a starry sky.

It was soon obvious to Rynne they were in a place of magic. It wasn't the overall appearance of the place, although it did clue her in. The ceilings were high and arched, the walls smooth, in some places crumbled, green-flamed candelabras here or there. Everything was the same, crumbly grey stone, except for the winks of the green-lit candles.

It was the _energy. _The _vibe. _Rynne didn't know how to describe it- that odd sensation, somewhere between uneasiness and total calm, that feeling which made shivers crawl up your spine like spiders.

Brennan's presence was gone completely, unreachable, as though the magic had cut it off. Rynne had lost any sense of being Maia- that person had escaped from her and ran as soon as they'd entered this accursed place.

The further they walked, the more uneasy Rynne felt. She tried to settle herself down by focussing on keeping her steps silent. She made herself look straight ahead, which meant looking at Terlo's back.

As Rynne studied Terlo, she noticed something else. Unlike Kolle, he carried an air of complete calm and familiarity. As if... as if he'd been there before.

Suddenly, it dawned on her. What Ertza had said that contradicted Kolle.

_She may be a monster, but she won't kill you. That's a line she won't cross._

One of the two was lying. At best, Ertza had simply been trying to give her false reassurance. At worst... she had just been led into a trap.

Rynne stopped. It all made sense now. The shaking of the earth, something _in Ertza's domain_, Terlo's familiarity, the mix-up of information... Stefan wasn't attacking them. He never had been.

Kolle and Terlo paused, staring at her. Rynne backed away from them.

"You... how could you... this is a trap. You lead me into a trap!" Rynne gasped.

A claw suddenly gripped her wrist. Kolle was no longer scared. Instead, his eyes were kind. And sorrowful.

"I am sorry, Rynne. We both are. But it is for the best." The kind odd creature looked up at her.

Rynne yanked her arm away. Kolle's claw caught in her exposed minty skin, a bright red line scored into it.

Rynne gasped, turned and began running back where they'd come.

"Wait!" Terlo roared. His deep voice bounced off that walls, echoing in both directions. Fear attacked Rynne. If Maleficent hadn't known she was here before, she certainly knew now.

She no longer bothered to be quiet. The slap of her feet and the gasp of her breath echoed on the stone walls. She heard the rumble of Terlo's growl and the high-speed padding of his bear-feet and the frantic clip-clop of Kolle's hooves.

Rynne turned her head. Her heart leapt to her throat. They were faster than she thought was possible, gaining on her with every passing second. It felt like she was in a nightmare, trying to escape from evil and feeling as though she were running through honey.

"Stop!" Kolle leapt into the air, claws out to grab at Rynne. Rynne screamed and leapt to the side, crashing to the floor and rolling along the stone. With a cry Kolle crashed into the stone where Rynne had been a moment before, dazed.

"Rynne, no!" Terlo had left Kolle dazed on the ground, abandoning him to run after her.

_Turn left!_ Maia called out. So she hadn't left Rynne after all. Rynne obeyed, skidding through an archway and into a dashed through, hearing the echo of Terlo and Kolle's voices and footsteps. Rynne was completely out of breath. but she didn't- no, couldn't -stop. All she knew was that she had to get out.

_Through the door! _Maia yelled. Rynne slammed into the door with all her momentum, forcing it open.

_Uh oh._

Rynne went running straight off a stone ledge and into the pit of a gargantuan, cavernous room, smashing to the floor with a cry. Throbbing all over, Rynne pulled herself up.

Suddenly, she froze on the spot, pure terror gripping at her. This was worse, far worse, than when Stefan had calmly discussed her death.

_May have went through the wrong door... sorry?_

There was one thing, one thing she hoped to never see again. The most terrifying sight in the realm.

Maleficent.

* * *

**A conversation between Maia and you (the reader):**

There is only one word for situations like so; shit.

* * *

STEFAN

Stefan paced the throne room. His advisor looked on worriedly. The king was showing sign of mental decline. Almost everything he did with a crazed glint in his eye, a rushed urgency.

"Did you not hear?!" The king growled. "I said leave me!"

The advisor stepped away, but lingered.

The king turned to face him, his face a mask of crazed rage. "I said _leave me!"_ The king bellowed, spittle flying from his mouth, his face red.

The advisor didn't hesitate again as he scuttled from the room.

The king collapsed onto his throne, one hand massaging his temples. He recalled the conversation with his wife a few weeks ago. Had it only been a few weeks? It felt like years.

_"It's what must be done! They fairies put a spell on the witch-girl. It will tell us what we need to know!"_

He had lied. There was no spell. The fairies were still with Aurora.

They were never going to take her to the Forbidden Mountain. It had been one, elaborate ruse, and only he could know it all, lest Maleficent capture and torture one of the nobles or advisors.

Stefan had the disgraced Bernadia fairy's binding enchantment renewed. She had done research into death curses, and found just the loophole they needed.

There was a way to kill the witch-girl and her soul still remain the keystone.

She had to be killed, but by a person she trusted absolutely, with all her heart.

And so, he had ordered the Bernadia fairy to gain the witch-girl's trust. To protect the little monster, tell her everything- and then kill her. It would work. He was sure. There was no way for Maleficent to get to the Bernadia fairy. Her magic was far too strong.

He stood. There was a cold flame alight in his eyes. For no longer was he simply working for the life of his daughter.

Now, he too was working for revenge.


	10. Once Upon A Dream

**BRENNAN**

Brennan knew he wasn't seeing things. His sister Maia was there. The fact that no one else could see her just made it exciting, and adventure. A mystery. Finding her was a quest, just like in the books and movies Brennan so loved.

It wasn't a stress hallucination like the doctor said. He wasn't imagining her because she'd disappeared and he missed her. Maia was still out there, and he'd find her.

His mother had held a funeral. But Brennan hadn't come. Because Maia wasn't dead.

Brennan loved his sister more than anyone else in the world, even more than he loved his favourite book character, the sarcastic adventurer Alfred Fray. They had been each other's rocks in the midst of the unsteady ocean of life. They supported each other in the writing of stories and scripts, and when family disappeared and broke apart and reformed and reshaped.

Maia wasn't gone. She couldn't be.

She just couldn't be.

* * *

**BRIAR ROSE**

Briar Rose was as shy as a person could be. Having grown up with three aunts as mysterious guardians and not another human being for miles, she was quiet, introverted and antisocial. She even struggled in having conversations with the animals, and they were her best friends.

For the thirteen years of her life, Rose grew to dislike the notion of 'people' and 'conversation.' She barely spoke, even to her aunts.

But what Rose did do a lot of was sing. And she was good at it, too, with an astounding voice and a brilliant ear. Rose couldn't read or write, but she would scratch marks into tree bark to indicate the tune, wether it went up or down, able to be felt as one sang. And she'd count on her memory for the words.

She counted on it now as she picked berries, her deft fingers picking through and feeling for the juicy spheres between the soft leaves.

"I know you, I walked with you once upon a dream. I know you, that glint in your eyes is so familiar a gleam." Rose had a similar lullaby sung to her ever since she was small. She contorted the words into what her aunts called a 'love song.' It was funny to Rose, for the idea of love felt so silly and redundant to her.

She knew the song by heart.

"And I know it's true, that visions are seldom all they seem. And if I know you, I know what you'll do, you'll love me at once, the way you did once upon a dream."

The song carried on the wind, rustling through the leaves on the trees. As Rose heard it go, she wondered if the world looked like it did in her dreams.

For Rose would never lay eyes on it in the waking world. She was blind, after all.

* * *

**BRENNAN**

"Brennan, something came for you in the post!" Mother's voice called from downstairs.

Brennan's arms flopped onto his bed. The Alfred Fray book, _Alfred Fray: The Witch's Staff,_ fell closed on his thumb. He'd been lying on his stomach, reading, as he spent almost all weekends.

For some reason, no shadow of Maia was with him today. And no monster that followed her.

"Brennan!"

That was mother's angry voice.

Brennan scrambled off the bed, stuffing a bookmark into the story and running downstairs, slipping and sliding on his socks. His mother was standing at the bottom of the stairs, letter in hand, eyebrow raised.

"The Alfred Fray book again?" She shook her head, expression endearing. "I thought you'd have finished it by now. It's been four days since it came out."

"I have finished it," Brennan said happily. "This is the second time. I already know what happens."

"Then why read it again?" His mother said, mystified. Brennan shrugged in response.

"You never know if anything has double meaning until you read it again. For example, the wicked witch, Anastasia, is actually the sympathetic character if you reread it with the right mindset."

"Really." His mother handed him the letter. "Wasn't Anastasia the bad guy in the previous books as well?"

"No, that was Anatole. They're related, though." Brennan didn't look at his mother while he spoke, instead tearing open the letter without even looking whom it was from. He knew his mother would never remember the characters from his favourite series, even though he'd been talking about them fanatically since he could read.

Brennan was only eleven years old, but he could read faster than most people could ever dream. He loved to read, because his volatile emotions would make any book a pumping roller coaster of entertainment. He could be bright and happy, a laughing little boy with shining eyes and a wide smile, or he could be mature and serious, with an intensity and self-awareness that shocked most adults and awed them.

It all depended on his state of mind. That was why he wrote as much as he did. With impeccable grammar and a knack for prose, he transferred his surfacing emotions and deep ideas into tangible words that told a story others could read and respond to.

Maia had always loved to write.

Brennan broke out of his thoughtful daze and forcefully focused his eyes on the letter. The first things he noticed was the Disney logo in the top left-hand corner. A rush of excitement and anticipation flared in his stomach. His eyes raced across the page and back again, taking in the words. Each sentence built up that nervousness in the pit of his stomach. When the words had finally penetrated, excitement blew the nervousness apart and pulled him up, elation pumping in his veins.

"I did it! I won the scriptwriting contest! _I get to work on a Disney movie!_"

* * *

**BRIAR ROSE**

Rose lay on the soft material covering her bed, fingering it, trying to tell through touch what colour it could be. Red, she imagined. It felt thick, like blood. And her aunts told her blood was red. It was nighttime, and she could hear and owl hooting far in the distance. Again, she wondered if night looked different then day, if they were different versions of the same thing, or if they really were polar opposites as everyone claimed.

To Rose, there was no difference between light and dark.

Rose's sensitive ears touched on whispers. As usual, she sat up, her ears pricked. As usual, the whispers came, getting louder, until the words were everything. And then, as usual, she felt her eyes close, and suddenly, she was dreaming. Dreaming the sounds.

_She cannot remember this world through experience... asleep the whole time... a sleeping beauty... the prophet tells... she remembers his prediction... the fourth one shall retrieve it... and her life..._

Rose felt her eyes open. A brighter sound bounced in her ears; the chirping of birds. The night had passed, as had the whispers. But like all the others, she remembered every word.

Rose had gotten whispers her whole life. Snippets of life; Fate's compensation for having no sight. For a while, the words had been revolving around a certain girl. Only once had the whispers mentioned her name; Rynne.

And this Rynne seemed to be in danger.

"Briar Ro-ose!" Trilled aunt Flora. "It's breakfast time!"

Rose stood, and cast her eyes in the direction which she knew was the window. Why did people get up in the morning? Why not the evening? People claimed they couldn't see at night.

Well, she couldn't see in either. Really, was there a difference? Was there a reason to hate the dark?

"Rose!"

Rose jerked out of her reverie and trod the familiar path to the stairs, in which she went down the twelve steps, her feet never missing one, knowing how and where to go.

"Oh, Rose!" Aunt Fauna's voice. "Let me help you to the table!"

"She doesn't need help; she can manage just fine on her own!" Aunt Merryweather. "Have some confidence in the girl!" A pause, no doubt as Merryweather turned to face her. "You can manage, can't you?"

"Yes, I can," Rose said quietly, drifting forward. "I can manage just fine."

Rose felt her way into the seat. The wonderful smell of honey filled her senses. No doubt, something sweet was in store today.

Immediately, she began daydreaming again. Who was Rynne? Why was she in danger?

Rose heard the sound of a plate clacking in front of her. A warning from aunt Fauna that it was hot, and the okay from aunt Merryweather that she could use her hands. Rose zoned out, carrying out the automatic motions.

Maybe she could go find Rynne. Tell her about the danger. No one else heard whispers; Merryweather said only oracles did. Rose didn't ask what an oracle was, because Merryweather'd already been getting suspicious. But Rose thought is sounded mysterious, special.

Maybe she could hear the world, then, if she couldn't see it. Go on a journey and hear all the sounds that could be heard. And unlike everyone else she could travel at night, because it wouldn't matter to her.

Already the prospect of adventure filled her with joy, to the point where she didn't register the ominous feeling looming above her, trying to warn her.


	11. Safety

**A/N I am so sorry. I'm so, so, so so so so so sorry. I'm just so sorry.**

**I lost all my plans for this story when I changed school and had to give back the school computer. So I had literally NONE of the plans for this story.**

**Meaning, I couldn't actually write until I re-planned. I pretty much had to use my memory, and fill in the blanks with the best I could come up with. Factor in life and school (because school doesn't count as life) and it took a very long time. Hence, not publishing in a REALLY, REALLY long time (which I am very sorry about) and a slight tweaking and reworking of the story. Meaning that if you already follow this story, not a new reader, you may want to go back and reread a bit because some chapters have changed slightly (aside from general editing, because I have the typo disease).**

**My only consolation is that most of you probably don't care at all about this story, so most of you who already follow me probably are just gonna delete the notification email and never read this. So yeah.**

**Please enjoy.**

* * *

**A conversation between Maia and you (the reader):**

There is something about terror that very literally grips you. The feeling takes hold of your muscles, holding you in place, quite literally feeling like a hand gripping you in a tightly-clenched fist.

* * *

RYNNE

There was something strikingly familiar about the woman that stood before Rynne. She had so clearly seen her before, so familiar was the sight, that Rynne was momentarily replaced by Maia.

And unfortunately for the both of them, Maia was slightly more reckless than her personality-less counterpart. "H-hi. Hey. Ah, I think I took a wrong turn; I'm just going to back away slowly and leave. That okay?"

Maia cringed. She sounded so... so _human. _

The place made her feel even worse. High arches and mossy stone, with imposing staircases hugging the faraway walls. Pillars, crumbling apart, still holding impossibly holding up the crumbling ceiling. Purple banners lined the walls in a disordered manner, and high up above the back wall, on a level only reachable through the staircases, was a scaly, dragon-like throne.

Maleficent sat before her in her throne, staff in hand, raven beside her. Her eyes held nothing, no emotion.

Maleficent stood in one swift motion. In the space of a breath, the gargoyle creates flood into the room via arches and stairways, surrounding, Kolle, Terlo and Rynne.

"What a pleasant surprise," Maleficent said regally, her voice echoing in the stone room.

_I wonder if she can feel anything, _said Rynne inside Maia's head. _Or if she's been so twisted by what she's done that all she can feel is anger and hatred. Maybe she's never even felt love._

Maleficent cast her yellow gaze to Kolle and Terlo. The two gargoyles stood out, one too tall, the other too short, both with far less armour and injuries. The two cowered, both bowing down.

"We did as you asked, your excellency," Kolle said quietly.

"You did well, gargoyle," Maleficent said dismissively. With a wave of her hand, Kolle and Terlo melted into the ranks of the other creatures until they became, once more, part of the horde.

Maleficent's eyes travelled to the stock-still Rynne. "It was obvious Stefan would send you to that wretched fairy."

"Ertza's not wretched," Maia snarled through gritted teeth. Rynne recoiled in fear, but Maia stood resolute.

Maleficent raised her eyebrows. "Interesting. I didn't expect such a personality."

Maia stepped forward. "Because you didn't expect the person I'd become. Unlike you, I'm not a monster."

Maleficent's expression grew dark. She began to walk down the stairs, a raven perched haughtily upon the glowing green orb set in her staff.

"So you believe that Ertza, the wonderful little pest of a fairy she is, planned to help you?" She reached the end of the staircase, beginning to walk closer to Rynne. "You are a witch, Rynne. No matter how kindly the other fairies seem to act, they will always betray you in the end."

"They betrayed you, not me!" Maia yelled. The room itself seemed to draw away in shock. Rynne was having a nervous breakdown inside Maia's head. "You're a cold-hearted, hateful monster," Maia spat. "You murder, you torture, you cause pain and misery. I'm not your daughter! I'm Maia O'Harris, and you can't change that!"

Maleficent's face transformed into a sneer. "That is not you. That girl belongs in another world. That girl didn't face death at every turn, hatred at every door."

Maia drew herself up tall, trying her best to match her mother's yellow glare. "'Hatred at every door'?" She echoed. "Tell me, _your excellency, _what exactly was Ertza planning to do?"

Maleficent smiled. A cold, harsh smile, devoid of warmth. "Ertza was planning to employ a little loophole in the curse placed upon Princess Aurora. When a keystone is tied into the curse, the only way to make the curse occur is by taking the life of the keystone." Maleficent stepped closer, making Maia draw a shuddering step back. "However. If the keystone's life is taken by someone they trust absolutely, with all their heart, then the keystone's soul will remain pure and intact even after death and will still be tied down to the curse. In short," Maleficent's smile dropped. "It is a way to make sure a curse never happens."

Maia stepped back again. "N-no," she said, disbelievingly. "Ertza..."

"It is true," Terlo mumbled, his growl welling from deep within the ranks. "That is why we brought you here. Here, you are safe."

Rynne screamed at Maia, telling her to back down, to fade back and let Rynne back in, but Maia continued, laughing desperately. "Hah! Here? Here, right beside the caster of the curse?" Maia glared up at Maleficent. "Despite what everyone would like me to believe, I have a hard time accepting that you wouldn't kill me just for your revenge."

Maleficent's eyes flashed. "There are other ways to kill a princes, child."

With a sudden burst of desperation and inspiration, Rynne flung herself through Maia's consciousness. The world tore down as the two selves fought within their shared body, cutting both off from the world.

A terrible pain cut through their shared consciousness. Their body screamed in pain, tumbling to the floor, hands grasping at their skull.

The two selves fought. Maia fought to keep herself, to remember. Rynne fought for a new start, for a new world.

The pain didn't fade or ebb or echo. It just stayed constant, one long line of the same sharp bite. Both selves weakened, unable to continue.

A sudden flash blazed through their body; a familiar power, a power akin to home. Rynne grew in power, suddenly the dominant force. Maia writhed away, fading to the farthest recesses of their mind; the subconscious.

Rynne opened her eyes.

Maleficent stood above her, staff glowing, other hand hovering over Rynne's body. That force which had given her so much strength had been a spell.

Rynne's mind was addled. Memories of the past dulled, the oldest one her awakening in the cave. It seemed like she were a new person, cleansed of the influences and biases.

"I assume you're different person now." Maleficent stated plainly.

"Yes," Rynne answered shakily.

Maleficent held out her hand. Rynne took it. Rynne's eyes alighted on her skin; no longer minty green, but covered in black scales.

Somewhere, in the far corners of Rynne's mind, she felt some odd feeling she couldn't quite describe. She quashed it without a second thought.

Unbeknownst to Rynne, it was the trapped soul of Maia, screaming wide-eyed in protest.

* * *

ERTZA

"You pathetic wretch!"

Ertza flinched as Stefan snarled at her.

"I tried," she replied weakly.

"Not. Hard. Enough," the king hissed.

Ertza was sitting in a chair in her little study. It was more like a den, being literally a furnished underground burrow. Ertza was extremely conscious of the guards standing at the entrance, and the king's emanating iron sword at his waist.

"You useless creature; you _kept those gargoyles alive?!" _The king ground his teeth. "I ordered you to kill them!"

Ertza shifted uncomfortably. This man would not hesitate to use iron on her; she had learnt that the hard way.

The king slammed his hands down on the table. "Well?! Explain yourself!"

Ertza started. "I... I thought they might give information... they were all tortured by Maleficent... I though perhaps they wouldn't be loyal to her anymore."

The king gave a snort of revulsion. "Evidently, she can torture them all she wants. They're still loyal to her."

Ertza closed her eyes, resigned. "I'm sorry, your majesty."

Ertza knew it wouldn't be enough. Stefan was the type of man to never move past history, assign blame and carry out the punishment. Ertza would pay for her failure.

Stefan drew out his sword, pointing it at the fairy. Ertza shied away, wincing.

"Let this be a lesson to you, fairy," Stefan spat. "Your failure to kill the witch-girl is too great a failure to go unpunished!"

Ertza squeezed her eyes shut, fists clenched in her lap. "_I'm sorry._"

King Stefan sneered. "Because of your incompetence, your sister died for nothing."

Ertza's head jerked up. "What?! She's dead?!"

Stefan looked down his nose at the young fairy, awaiting her reaction.

Ertza's eyes darkened. "Good riddance to the witch-hating bitch."

Stefan hit her.

"You will NOT speak about your queen like that!"

Ertza didn't look at the king. "_Former _queen, your majesty."

Even on the surface world, high above the hideout of the gargoyles and the renegade fairy, the tortured screams of the gargoyles could be heard, slaughtered one by one, and the pained cries of the fairy punished for her mistakes.

* * *

Screams awoke Briar Rose that night, ethereal screams from places only she could hear.


End file.
